Our History

From a renovated gas station in Burlington, Vermont, to far-off places with names we sometimes mispronounce, the journey that began in 1978 with 2 guys and the ice cream business they built is as legendary as the ice cream is euphoric.

* The 1970's*

1978

Humble Beginnings

With a $5 correspondence course in ice cream-making from Penn State and a $12,000 investment ($4,000 of it borrowed), Ben and Jerry open their first ice cream scoop shop in a renovated gas station in Burlington, Vermont.

1979

Next Step…

Ben and Jerry celebrate the shop's one-year anniversary – and the customers who made it possible – by holding the first-ever Free Cone Day: free scoops for all, all day long. The annual ice cream give-away continues today in scoop shops around the world.

* The 1980's*

1980

Supply & Demand

Ben and Jerry rent space in an old spool and bobbin mill on South Champlain Street in Burlington and begin packing their ice cream in pints. The reason? To distribute to grocery and Mom & Pop stores along the restaurant delivery routes Ben services out of the back of his old VW Squareback wagon.

1981

We Want More!

As the news of Ben & Jerry's spreads, more & more people want a lick. So the first franchised scoop shop opens in Shelburne, Vermont.

1982

Pack it Up!

The old gas station is demolished to create a parking lot. Just before the wrecking ball is swung, the new Ben & Jerry's on Cherry Street in Burlington is up & scooping.

1983

Now That's What I Call a Sundae

Ben & Jerry's ice cream is used to build "the world's largest ice cream sundae" in St. Albans, Vermont; the sundae weighs 27,102 pounds.

1984

Get a Scoop of the Action

Ben & Jerry's sets a precedent by discovering a little-known clause about stocks and brokering, then establishing a Vermont-only public stock offering to raise money for a new manufacturing plant.

1985

The Heart of the Matter

The Ben & Jerry's Foundation is established with a gift from Ben and Jerry & 7.5% of the company's annual pre-tax profits to fund community-oriented projects.

1986

"Like the world's largest baked Alaska"

Ben & Jerry's launches the Cowmobile, a modified mobile home used to distribute free scoops in a unique, cross-country "marketing drive." On the return trip, the Cowmobile burns to the ground outside of Cleveland, Ohio (no one was hurt). Ben said it looked "like the world's largest Baked Alaska."

1987

Very Grateful

Ben & Jerry's introduces Cherry Garcia® ice cream. Named for Grateful Dead guitarist Jerry Garcia at the suggestion of two "DeadHeads" from Portland, Maine, Cherry Garcia® becomes the first ice cream named for a rock legend

1988

Hail From the Chief

Ben and Jerry are named “U.S. Small Business Persons of the Year” by President Reagan in a White House Rose Garden ceremony. Jerry's one suit comes in handy and, luckily, Ben finds an Italian waiter's jacket to wear.

1989

Artificial Growth Hormone? Not in Our Ice Cream!

Ben & Jerry's comes out against Recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone (rBGH), based on concern about its adverse economic impact on family farming and public confidence in the wholesomeness of dairy products.

* The 1990's*

Contented Cows Make the Best Ice Cream

Eight million Ben & Jerry's pints carry a "Support Farm Aid " message as part of the grassroots efforts of Farm Aid, a non-profit organization whose mission is to keep family farmers on their land.

1991

A Pint-Sized Legend is Born

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough is released in pints after years of research and development. The flavor rockets to the top of the most-popular-in-pints list. Today it still reigns among our all-time flavor hits. (The first-ever batch of the flavor was created in Ben & Jerry’s Burlington scoop shop in 1984, the result of an anonymous note scribbled on the shop's suggestion board.)

1992

Take a Stand for Children

Ben & Jerry's joins in a cooperative campaign with the national non profit, Children's Defense Fund; the campaign goal is to bring children's basic needs to the top of the national agenda. Over 70,000 postcards are sent to Congress concerning kids and other national issues.

1993

"The 90's are the 60's Standing on Your Head"

Wavy Gravy leads the pack of new flavors. It's named after the famous 1960's Woodstock Festival personality who is today a one-man non-profit helping kids.

1994

Greetings, Your Majesty

Pints of Ben & Jerry's ice cream begin to appear in the United Kingdom.

1995

www.benjerry.com

Hundreds of thousands of cyber-surfers visit the Ben & Jerry's World Wide Web site for virtual licks & voluminous laughs.

1996

No Fat, No Lactose, No Cholesterol

Ben & Jerry's introduces Sorbets made with pure spring water & the best fruits & flavorings. Doonesberry® Sorbet is named after the popular "Doonesbury®" comic strip character. It has since been sent to the Flavor Graveyard, but other sorbets live on in Scoop Shops.

The Flying Friesian

* The 2000's*

2000

Big Changes

August 3, 2000: Ben & Jerry’s becomes a wholly-owned subsidiary of Unilever. Through a unique acquisition agreement, an independent Board of Directors is created to provide leadership focused on preserving and expanding Ben & Jerry's social mission, brand integrity, and product quality. We call them the B.O.D. (Which means we really like them.)

2001

We're making a movie

Citizen Cool is a documentary about ordinary folks making an impact in their communities. We celebrate this new release with a flavor inspired by movie treats, Concession Obsession.

2002

One Sweet Whirled

It's an ice cream flavor...it's an environmental action website...it's One Sweet Whirled™ and it's all interconnected, as Ben & Jerry's partners with Dave Matthews Band® & SaveOurEnvironment.org in a campaign to help fight global warming.

2003

Celebrating 25 Years

Ben & Jerry's kicks off the year with a birthday bash at our factory in Waterbury VT at the first-ever Winter Fest. Still crazy after 25 years.

2004

Rock the Vote!

In an effort to drive voter turnout among young people, Ben & Jerry's partners with Rock the Vote. RTV street teams leverage the long lines of customers on Free Cone Day to register over 11,000 voters – the biggest one-day grassroots registration in Rock the Vote's history.

2005

Drilling is not the ANsWeR

To protest proposed oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, we construct a 900-pound Baked Alaska with our Fossil Fuel ice cream, shoulder it onto the US Capital lawn and serve it up with the help of Greenpeace and the Alaska Wilderness League.

2006

Fair Trade Upgrade

Ben & Jerry's continues to support Fair Trade efforts started with Coffee, Coffee Coffee BuzzBuzzBuzz in 1996 by adding Vanilla and Chocolate to the line-up. Fair Trade certification guarantee's that the farmers who grow the vanilla, cocoa and coffee beans get a fair price for their harvest, enabling them to reinvest in their land and communities.

2007

Truth or Clone-sequences

When the U.S. Food & Drug Administration declared that it believed meat and milk from cloned animals was safe to eat, we were beside ourselves, twice over! To show our disappointment with the FDA's decision – and to urge Americans to speak out against cloning – we send a determined herd of cow-costumed folks to Washington, D.C. for a "Truth or Clone-sequences" demonstration.

2008

The Batch is Back

We introduce Goodbye Yellow Brickle Road in recognition of Elton John's first concert in Vermont.

2009

Do the World a Flavor

We hold an international “Do the World a Flavor” contest encouraging people to share their ideas for a Fair Trade flavor. Top contestants visit the Dominican Republic, tour a cocoa co-op, and build a playground for children in the village of Yabon. The winning flavor, Almond Delight, is featured in scoop shops as a Limited Batch in 2010.

* The 2010's*

2010

Fair Trade Commitment

Ben & Jerry's makes a significant commitment to source Fair Trade ingredients and to support the global Fair Trade movement. We’re in the process of converting our ingredients to Fair Trade globally where we feel we can have the greatest impact on improving the lives of farmers, strengthening their communities and protecting the environment.

2011

Occupy!

When protestors in New York City and other places take to the streets under the Occupy Wall Street banner in the fall of 2011 to rally against increasing economic inequality in the United States, high unemployment, mortgage fraud, and too much corporate influence in American politics, Ben & Jerry’s Board of Directors issues a direct statement of solidarity, and we show up in Zucotti Park on several occasions to scoop ice cream for Occupiers.

GMO? Thanks, but No.

As the campaign to label food products made with GMO ingredients moves across the states, including Vermont, Ben & Jerry's is proud to stand with the growing consumer movement for transparency and the right to know what’s in our food supply by supporting mandatory GMO labeling legislation. In 2013, we also commit to transitioning all of our ingredients to be fully sourced non-GMO.

About Ben & Jerry's

From a renovated gas station in Burlington, Vermont, to far-off places with names we sometimes mispronounce, the journey that began in 1978 with 2 guys and the ice cream business they built is as legendary as the ice cream is euphoric.